Fittipaldi will drive the home-based Copersucar during the 1976 season, giving up his place in the McLaren team to spearhead an all-Brazilian thrust for Formula One honours.

The new car, known as the FD-04, is an improved version of the Copersucar-Fittipaldi which Emerson's brother Wilson drove during 1975 .... without much success. In fact the best the 11975 model achieved was tenth place in the United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen, New York. Copersucar-Fittipaldi are playing it safe by using the well-tried eight-cylinder water-cooled Ford-Cosworth engine for their new car. It develops 470 h.p. and will be the lightest and smallest Formula. One car on the racing tracks during the 1976 season, starting in Buenos Aires on 11 January.

Emerson Fittipaldi's team mate in 1976 will be a totally unknown Brazilian driver, Ingo Hoffmann, aged 22. Although he has raced in his home country since 1972 he made his international debut only last year, driving in a Formula 3 race at Silverstone, United Kingdom.

Other drivers in the Copersucar-Fittipaldi team will also be Brazilians, reserve Alex Dias Ribeiro and Wilson Fittipaldi, who has done all the test driving on the new car.

SYNOPSIS: A day of excitement on Monday for Brazilian motor-racing enthusiasts when the nineteen-seventy-six version of the home-based Copersucar-Fittipaldi Formula One car was unveiled in Sao Paulo. The new car, known as the FD-04, is an improved version of the Copersucar-Fittipaldi which raced in nineteen-seventy-five without much success.

But there are high hopes for a better showing next year since the announcement that twice Formula One World Champion Brazilian driver Emerson Fittipaldi will drive for Copersucar in nineteen-seventy-six. With his brother Wilson and a young, internationally unknown Brazilian driver Ingo Hoffmann, who will be his team-mates next season, Emerson was on hand in Sao Paulo for the new car's first public appearance.